Wrapped Into Information
by EmeraldHeart1203
Summary: 16 year old Emma Smith from Erudite is faced with strange information on the day of her aptitude test. What will she do to try help everyone she cares about? Can she make it through initiation without revealing her secrets? This is also a co-op with LizzieWillow and ExtremeFangirl907, and I will add the links to their chapters here too. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter One: The Test

**This is an OC's point of view for Divergent. It** ** _is_** **only my second FanFiction. My first was Assurgent, which is still in progress. I hope you like it!**

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Chapter One

I wake to an itch in my neck. "Can't you wake me up _without_ tickling me, Dad?" I groan.

"Aptitude tests today." Dad grins, and starts tickling me again. I playfully punch him in the arm in response. He leaves the room, so I can pack my school bag. I catch a glimpse of my book on the side and debate taking it to school. If I do, would I get the time to read it? If I don't, won't I get bored? I put the book in my bag, There's always time to read. I go for a shower and get dressed in the blue track pants and top I had taken out the night before. I tie my hair in a quick, no-nonsense ponytail, and eat a bowl of cereal. I haul my backpack on and say bye to my parents and my brother. He is in the Lower Levels, so his classes start half an hour after mine. It is a five minute walk to the nearest bus stop, and the bus is waiting for me already.

On the bus, a woman with a little kid get on, and I give them my seat. _Isn't that an Abnegation trait?_ I wonder to myself. I shrug it off and put my book away as it is my stop next anyways. I get off and sling my backpack over my back. The factionless woman that stands outside my school hands me a newspaper, which I tuck under my arm. When I sit down on a bench in the playground, I open the newspaper. The headline in the front is about the Abnegation, like all of them this month have been. This time, it accuses Marcus Eaton, an influential Abnegation leader, of abusing his son, Tobias, who transferred to Dauntless two years ago. It's hard to believe all these reports about the Abnegation that Jeanine has released. In fact, they have been so severe that I'm not sure I believe them. I check my watch, which is a digital watch with a blue strap, and see that class will start in ten minutes. I get up, but my pant leg is caught under the bench. _Now how did that happen?_ I lift up the leg of the bench, and the blue fabric comes loose, with a patch of dirt on it. When I enter the main room, all I see is chaos.

"Out of my way, Stiff." A boy in my History class, Jeffrey, pushes an Abnegation girl to the floor. This is what Jeanine's reports have started. My faction, Erudite, have been treating the Abnegation hurtfully, and that has affected our behaviour at school. "Jeffrey!" I yell after him.

"What?"

"There was no need to push her!"

"Yeah, _there was no need to push her!_ " He mimics. "Do you even _know_ what those Stiffs are trying to do? Haven't you _seen_ those reports on them?"

"Those _reports_ are nothing more than a bunch of lies. They weren't released by the Candor, were they?" I snap at him.

His nose scrunches up. "If you think they're so innocent, why don't you go join them?"

Just then, the speaker announces, "From Dauntless: Uriah Pedrad and James Tucker. From Erudite: Jennifer Amilee and Emma Smith. From Amity: Jill Lerner and Gerald Davison. From Candor: Peter Hayes and Molly Atwood. From Abnegation: Susan Black and Beatrice Prior."

I didn't have much time to worry about the test, what with all my studying and reading, but now, I'm on the verge of panicking. _Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale._ I repeatedly take deep breaths and calm myself down. As I enter the room, I see a reclining chair, like the one in the dentist's office that I go to twice a year.

"Hello. My name is Natalie, and I will be administering your aptitude test." The woman inside the room greets me. She has blond hair and green eyes. I manage a weak nod. "Don't worry," she continues, "It's perfectly safe." I nod again and get into the chair. "This is the serum that will begin the test." She says and passes me a small vial of liquid. She then presses an electrode lightly to my head, and one to hers. "These will allow me to see what's going on." She explains. I hesitantly swallow the serum, which tastes like apple juice. I blink, and when I open my eyes the room is empty. Except for a knife and a hunk of cheese.

"Choose." The voice seems to come from nowhere.

"Why? What for?" I ask cautiously.

"CHOOSE!" Then I realise whose voice it is. Jeanine Matthews'.

"How can you expect me to choose if I don't know what I'm choosing for?" I retort.

"Have it your way." The cheese and knife both vanish. I hear a growling noise coming from one of the corners of the room. A dog walks into the room, snarling and snapping. I should have taken the cheese. Or the knife. I keep my breaths even. I look away from the dog, not wanting to trigger any harsh responses. Then I remember something I read during biology: The chemical a human secretes in a state of fear is the same one a dog's prey secretes. I pretend I am not afraid of the attacking dog while slowly backing away. _Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. It's not real, it's not real._ I lay down on my stomach and look up at the dog. It then whimpers and nuzzles my hand. "You're not a mean dog, are you?"

"Puppy!" A little girl in a white dress appears from nowhere, arms outstretched to the dog.

"Wait-" I try to warn her, but the dog cuts me off, lunging at the girl. She screams, and I jump in front of her, and just as the dog is about to sink its canines **(No pun intended)** into my arm, I am on a bus. A man with a newspaper and scarred hands is in front of me. The newspaper reads, "Brutal Murderer Finally Apprehended!" Murder? There hasn't been a murder in the city as far as I know, and I've read pretty much all of the history books in the library. Strange. "Do you know this guy?" I have a strange feeling that I _do_ know him, but I have a nagging feeling that it wouldn't be smart to say so.

"No." It comes out as a whisper, so I clear my throat and say it again. "No, I don't."

"If you knew him, you could save me! You could _save_ me!" His breath is like cigarettes. I almost cringe at the odour.

I fold my arms and say stubbornly, "Sorry, but I don't."

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 **I will try to make these chapters longer than the ones in Assurgent. Anyways, please review! It gives me the encouragement to keep going! Thank you!**

 **Here's the link to Lizzie's POV:**

 **s/11900784/1/Phenomenon**

 **~EmeraldHeart12**


	2. Chapter Two: The Information

**Thanks for staying! If you haven't already, please read LizzieWillow's side of the story! That said, here's chapter two.**

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Chapter Two

Natalie, my aptitude test administerer, looks worried as she detaches the electrodes on my head.

"What was my result?" I ask.

"Listen carefully. Your results were inconclusive. You had an equal aptitude for Erudite, Abnegation, and Dauntless. You were curious as to what you were choosing for, and your smart actions toward the dog are Erudite traits, but not running from the dog suggests Dauntless, but so does taking the knife, but you didn't do that. You sacrificed yourself for the little girl, but you didn't tell the man who the murderer was, conflicting Abnegation results. It's called _Divergent._ Divergence is extremely dangerous. Being Divergent means you can't be controlled. I overwrote the data from the simulation onto the records. You cannot tell _anyone,_ not even your parents, about this. This is serious. Your life depends on it." She glances around as if someone is watching us, and continues, "I'll send you home early. Tell your parents that the serum made you slightly feverish."

I nod again and walk off. I've never got less than 100% on any of my tests, but I'm still terrified of failure. But this isn't _my_ failure. It's the test's. How can inconclusive test results be dangerous? Could this be some kind of joke? I shake my head. The Abnegation aren't known for pranks and Natalie seemed like she wasn't kidding around. When I walk past the factionless sector, I see the girl from Abnegation that Jeffrey pushed to the floor giving a bag of apple slices to a factionless man. I think her name is Beatrice of something. She was sent home early as well. Strange. Maybe the same thing happened to her as to me. I consider talking to her, but decide against it, thinking that if someone from my faction saw me talking to an Abnegation, I would be called a faction traitor. Why does life have to be so hard? Why can't _regular_ friendships exist through the faction barriers? What was it like before factions? I guess I will never know, because none of our history texts contain anything about civilisations without factions, and the factions have been around for seven generations. I try thinking about something else to distract me from my strange test results. Not the smartest idea. Before today, I was 100% sure I would choose Erudite, because I have to admit, I don't think I could take " _Faction before blood"_ seriously enough. I thought about something _no_ Erudite would even _want_ to think of: What happens after death? Is there some sort of afterlife? Is it absolutely _nothing_? I can't even fathom _nothing._ Is _nothing_ just like a black hole? I trip over a crack in the pavement, which brings me back to reality. I need to focus on getting through initiation for whatever faction I choose. Erudite. Dauntless. Abnegation. I don't think I have what it takes to go with Dauntless initiation. I'm not sure I should choose Abnegation either, because for some reason, I feel like it may be a bad idea. I'm going to stay in Erudite. Now, I know a lot about each faction's initiation. Abnegation's is simply a month of service and selflessness, Amity's is farming, Candor's is lie detector tests and truth serum, and they get you to spill your deepest secrets. There is _no way_ I would spill my secrets. Dauntless's is a lot of fighting and weapon training and a fear simulation, which really confuses me. Erudite's is IQ tests, practical experimentation, and a lot of technical stuff. I go through a list of jobs I could choose from Erudite:

Teacher

Researcher

Inventor

Serum developer

Architect

Reporter

Journalist

Erudite leader

Faction Ambassador

My mother is a teacher, but I'm not sure I want to be one. I find it hard to focus on just doing one thing, and it bores me. I'm not that thrilled about inventing either. Serum developing and architecture are the two most interesting of the two. I can do both as a part time for each.

Dauntless jobs consist of:

Guarding the fence

Patrolling the city

Working in the control room

Dauntless leader

Faction Ambassador

Dauntless jobs aren't all that great, in my opinion. Abnegation jobs are:

City leader

Factionless Help Volunteer

Faction Ambassador

Not too many things to look forward to. Now I'm sure I'll choose Erudite. Our city's motto is _Faction before blood._ I, for one person, could never be able to follow it. My family _always_ comes before anything. When I finally get home, neither my parents nor my brother are home. I flop onto the bed and get my book out. It mentions something about data stored from before the factions. That's extraordinary. I whip out my laptop and start it up. I immediately start up the data network. When I see a folder named Plans (Initiation), I frown. What's so special about initiation this year? Unable to control my curiosity, I open it. It contains a few notes in bullet points:

Attack simulation - Serum D2

Divergent

Abnegation

Information reveal

Dauntless army

Jeanine Matthews

I click on Jeanine's folder, but it's locked with a password. Of course it is. Who would be dumb enough to leave an important file without a passcode? I shut my laptop down and ponder this over. _Attack simulation? Information reveal? Dauntless army? And what_ is _Divergence? What would it have to do with Jeanine?_ I search up "Divergent" and I get:

 **Divergent**

dʌɪˈvəːdʒ(ə)nt,dɪ-/

 _Adjective_

Tending to be different or develop in different directions.

I don't bother looking at the second definition, as the first one matches what Natalie told me. Three different factions. Three different directions. Not Erudite. Not Abnegation. Not Dauntless. Divergent.

By the time I check my watch, it is already 4:30, and my mom and brother should both be home any minute now. I lost track of time again. I hear a key being inserted into the door and sit down on my bed. I should be thinking over my results from the aptitude test, not looking into Jeanine's secure files. But _attack simulation? Dauntless army?_ It can only mean one thing: war. But on whom? It has one faction listed by itself: Abnegation. War on Abnegation. The Dauntless will mow them down in minutes, and the attack simulation… would control the Dauntless soldiers to do so. But why? Here's where the next clue comes into play: information reveal. But what information? Is Jeanine trying to reveal it but the Abnegation refuse to do so? Or is it the other way round? What _is_ going on in our city? Is Jeanine looking for power? Or what? I make a mental note to look this up after initiation. Or during initiation...

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 **Thanks for reading! Here's LizzieWillow's side:**  
 **s/11900784/2/Phenomenon**

 **~EmeraldHeart12**


	3. Chapter Three: The Choosing

**Here's Chapter Three! Sorry it took so long to upload. I didn't get much time to write, what with school and all.**

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Chapter Three

That night, our neighbours come for dinner, as my mother and two of our neighbours need to get their lesson plan ready for Monday.

"Hi!" Will greets me with a smile.

"Good evening," Cara nods at me.

I smile in response. "Hi." Will's and Cara's parents come in. Cara engulfs herself in the adults' chat and Will and I go to my room. The doorbell ring again, and it's my friend Lizzie this time.

"Hi!" We greet each other at the same time, with a hug. Will rolls his eyes at us, and Lizzie sticks her tongue out at him.

Will plops into a chair, Lizzie dominates the bed, and I sit on another chair.

"Spill it." Will demands.

"Spill what?" I counter.

"I may not be Abnegation or Candor, but I _know_ when something's bothering someone."

"I'm not the only one who's troubled by stuff. Let me guess what's bothering _you._ Aptitude test?"

"Can't say!" He teases.

"Hm… Abnegation?" I offer.

"No."

"Amity?" Lizzie guesses.

"Nope."

"Dauntless?" I try. His expression becomes guarded.

"No…" he trails off and his lips pinch together.

"It is! It is Dauntless!" I exclaim, a little louder than I meant to. "Whoops. Sorry."

"Was it your aptitude test bothering _you_?"

My abnormal aptitude test results _are_ bothering me, but not as much as Jeanine's secure file. But, unlike the Candor, I find it easy to lie. "No. It's not that." Well, I guess that's a half truth.

"Then what is?" Lizzie asks.

" _This_ is." I take out my laptop and show him the files, while explaining my understanding of them.

"So… Jeanine's planning a war on Abnegation, and is going to control the Dauntless to kill them all?" Will looks horrified. "Someone needs to warn them!"

We spend the rest of the evening trying to figure out what we would do. Will volunteered to transfer to Dauntless so he could get some insider info. Lizzie and I'll stay in Erudite to research more about this. That way, we can stop the problem at the root. I wish Will could stay, but we can't tell anyone about this, and we need someone with an aptitude for Dauntless. Unfortunately, Will can only meet Lizzie and I after initiation, and there's not going to be much time after initiation until the attack takes place, or the file wouldn't be marked 'initiation' at all.

After dinner, I find it hard to sleep. I spend hours tossing and turning, but I just can't sleep. Bleary-eyed and tired, I switch on the light to read my book again. It's a sad book, but an amazing one. I read it seven times before I fall asleep with the book covering my face. I wake up an hour earlier than usual, thanks to my book stopping me from breathing. After showering, I tuck a small communication device into my pocket. I know that I am not allowed to take anything from here to the transfer dorm, but it is so small, no one would notice. I tuck an identical one in my other pocket. After putting a third one in my first pocket, I leave with my family to the Choosing Ceremony. The place I will decide on the rest of my life. The day before yesterday, I was completely sure I'd choose Erudite. Yesterday, I formed a plan with my friends. Today, I feel like I am reconsidering. No. I have to do this. I can't let everyone down.

"Elizabeth Willow," Marcus reads. Lizzie's expression is placid as she walks up to the bowls. She carefully cuts into her hand and looks nervously at me. I nod encouragingly and hold a thumb up. She smiles at me and drips her blood into the Erudite bowl.

"Erudite." Marcus states.

I don't pay much attention to the Choosing after that until my name is called.

"Emma Smith," Marcus reads off the list. I push myself forward, trying to hide my anxiety. It doesn't work out too well. What if I slip on the way to the bowls? What if I knock one over? What if my hand jerks to the wrong bowl and it slips into Amity or something? I shake these thoughts away and slowly slice the knife into my hand. I look at the Abnegation stones, the Dauntless lit coals, and the Erudite water, already a pink hue. I look at Lizzie, and she winks and gestures toward Will, who looks about as calm as I feel. I bite the inside of my lip to keep from grinning, and my blood drips into the Erudite bowl. I don't hear Marcus state my faction of choice, only the soft drip of my blood into the water. I sit next to Lizzie and we high-five.

"Are you okay?" She asks, smiling.

"Yep. I hope I made the right choice." I think of my abnormal aptitude test results and sigh. I wonder what Lizzie got. Probably Erudite. She was so calm about it, like there was nowhere else to go.

" _You_ have. I just don't know if _I_ have." Lizzie responds. What? Is she Divergent as well? How well do I actually know her? Suspicions aside, is she alright?

"Anything you need to tell me?" I ask softly. She narrows her eyes, as if she suspects something strange. If Divergence is simply that easy to spot, could I be showing it now? Am I showing the third of me that is Abnegation?

"Later." She shakes her head at me.

When Will's name is called, he walks past us and I stuff one of the devices into his palm. He shoots me a quick glance and stuffs the device in his pocket. I shove a second one into Lizzie's palm and she looks at me questioningly. I mutter, "Communication device," and she nods. Will must have heard me too, as his expression is calm and collected. He presses the knife into his palm and I hear a sizzle. The coals. Then it hits me. _Hard_. I may _never_ see Will again. _Ever_. One of my two best friends, gone for life. My mind completely zones out. I hear nothing but ringing in my ears. Lizzie is saying something to me, but I can't quite make out what it is. All I can think of is that I won't see Will again. Not for more than ten minutes at a time. My eyes burn; maybe something went in them, or maybe it is the fact that Will can no longer be my friend, and it is _my_ fault. I sent him away. _I_ sent him away. It's my fault. I showed them that file. _I_ did. I want to turn back time and undo it. I want my friend back. It isn't fair. Now all three of us have to suffer the repercussions of my _stupid_ decision. I should have thought it through. I remember a Candor boy once saying that the Erudite have no feelings for people. But for _me_ the hardest place to hit is me friends. I shake my head, like the motion is supposed to make time turn back and change everything.

A hand hits my shoulder, pretty hard, bringing me back to reality. Lizzie is glaring at me. "I asked you what you're going to do for initiation!" She hisses. I don't respond, as if I talk, I'll start crying. I've been Will's friend since we were three. I can't believe I sent him away _permanently_ just to figure out some information from _Dauntless_.

"I-I'll tell you later," I manage. _Deep breaths,_ I tell myself. I wipe my eyes, claiming something went in them as Lizzie questions me. I listen to the Choosing Ceremony. There are twelve Dauntless transfers, eight Abnegation transfers, ten Erudite transfers, thirteen Candor transfers, and fifteen Amity transfers. I don't pay much attention to their names.

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 **Hope you like it! I tried not to leave a cliffhanger, so tell me if you want one! Review? Please? I'll upload the next chapter if I can reach eight reviews.**

 **~EmeraldHeart12**


	4. Chapter Four: The Group

**Wow, two chapters today! Chapter four, in the house! Or, er, Erudite dorms. ;)**

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Chapter Four

I take a deep breath as our initiation instructor, who was apparently Dauntless before Erudite, signified by a piercing in her eyebrow, introduces herself as Antira.

"Your initiation will be split into three stages: the first being intellectual, with tests. The second is research, in which you will pick a research topic and work in groups, and the third is practical, with serums. You will choose groups of four people to work with. Each must consist of at least one person from each gender, and must have two transfers and two Erudite borns. You will choose your groups as soon as we get to the dorms." With that, we head into the Erudite compound. I haven't seen the initiation sector before. It's pretty pristine, and, to be honest, it's probably cleaner than my room at home. Each room is separated by glass, with blinds that can come down or go up at the press of a button. It really is cool. Just then, Antira hangs up a board with each of our names on it, and highlighters: one for each group. Antira announces that we can socialize for now, so we can choose our groups, but we have to meet for dinner at exactly 8:00. There are two Abnegation initiates, given away by their grey attire, and they both look particularly nervous. I'm surprised an Abnegation _transferred_ at all, let alone transferred to Erudite. The second Antira leaves the room, I lunge for the green highlighter, highlighting Lizzie and my names. We still need two more people, both of which need to be transfers. The Abnegation girl is waiting for pretty much everyone to get into groups. I'm surprised she chose Erudite. She seems selfless to the core. I walk over to her, and ask if she would like to join our group. She shyly nods, and I go back to the board and highlight her name, which she tells me is Emily. Emily Chase.

"Lizzie!" I call out. Lizzie is laughing with the other Abnegation transfer, whose name I have no idea of. Lizzie introduces him as Caleb, and now that there are four of us, we could be a group, without much tension. We're the first group to be complete, so Antira puts us down as Group One. As the first group to be ready, we get to choose our rooms first.

"I call dibs on room twelve!" I joke.

"Well, then I want room thirteen." Lizzie counters with mock seriousness.

"Oh, shut up," I respond, as Emily and Caleb glance at us. "We're only joking around," I explain to them, putting an arm around Emily, and the other around Caleb, who both tense.

"Rule number thirty-eight of Erudite," I say cheekily, "You can hug your friends here." Lizzie bursts out laughing at my comment, and Caleb looks at me quizzically. "You actually have that rule?" He asks.

"Nah, we just made that up," Lizzie explains. I hop into room twelve, with Lizzie in thirteen, Emily heads into eleven, and Caleb in ten. Each room is pretty big, with its own bathroom, living space, and bedroom. I get everyone into my room, and we sit and chat for a while.

"I dare you to tell your worst joke." I whisper to Caleb.  
"Alright." He whispers back. He raises his voice a little. "Hey, wanna hear a knock-knock joke?"

"Alright." Lizzie answers.

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"To."

"To who?"

"No, to _whom_."

That _is_ a bad joke. Lizzie buries her face in her hands and laughs sarcastically.

By the time 8:00 arrives, we act like old friends. We sit together for dinner, which is spaghetti, with our signature fizzy sweet lemonade, and for dessert, brownies with ice-cream. One of the Dauntless transfers grumbles, "This isn't nearly as good as our cake." Just then, Jeanine walks into the room and every Erudite is stops and listens, minus five or so transfers.

"Initiates," she calls, silencing everyone. Nobody moves, and you could hear a pin prick. "I believe your instructor told you about your initiation procedure. Due to a last minute change, the order of your stages have been changed. You will first do several tests, some of which will be individual, and some of which will be with your group. The second will be practical, with serums, as this knowledge is necessary to be an Erudite. The final stage will be research. As you have been told, there are ten transfers and ten Erudite-borns. There are two from Abnegation-" the disgust in her voice is barely noticeable, yet unmistakeable when she says "Abnegation". As if she isn't trying to antagonise them. "-three from Candor, two from Dauntless, and three from Amity. This should divide evenly into five groups of four, so there should be no group finding conflict."

At this, Emily smiles, and says, "Well, in that case, I'm taken for a group." But there's something strange about that smile… it's somewhat sad… or hurt. I'll ask her later.

"Well, we should introduce ourselves first. More... thoroughly. I'll go first," Lizzie suggests. "My full name is Elizabeth Willow, but you can - no - should call me Lizzie."

"One question," Emily pipes up, "You have a purple streak in your hair. How come? Only the Dauntless can dye their hair."

The reminder of that story brings a smile to my face. "That," I say, "was a funny story. When we were seven, Lizzie found her way into the one of the science labs. She was fidgeting with a white concoction when purple powder spilled into it, and she got nervous, and tried to put it on a really high shelf. It toppled onto her hair, and now that streak in her hair grows purple naturally. At the time, I had found a way into the security system. I saw what Lizzie was doing, but when I questioned her, she denied everything. Well, until I showed her the footage. Then she confessed. I edited the footage so that it seemed that the concoction simply was imbalanced and fell over."

When I finish, Lizzie is bright red, Emily is grinning and Caleb look like he's trying as hard as he possibly can not to laugh.

"Emma," Lizzie fires back, "What about that time when you fell into the sewer?"

Fell into the sewer? Now she's just making things up.

"I don't happen to remember that, Lizzie." I say as sweetly as I can. Lizzie's act doesn't last long.

The rest of the night passes in a blur of joking, laughing, and having fun. When it's time to go to bed, my face flops onto the pillow, but I can't sleep. I look into Lizzie's room, and she's spread-eagled onto her bed, snoring. The purple streak in her hair is in her mouth.

"Lizzie," I whisper, not wanting to wake any of the other initiates, "wake up!"

She mutters something about lemonade in her sleep.

"Lizzie," I try again.

She groans, "Not now, Naomi," Lizzie's half asleep. She must think she's at home if she thinks I am her sister.

"Elizabeth Willow, _wake up_!" I hiss frantically.

"Huh-wha-pillow forts!" She sits up suddenly.

I look at her. " _Pillow forts?_ "

She turns bright pink. "Sorry."

"Right. As I was _going_ to say, Will needs an update on stuff."

Lizzie groans. It's not even been a _day_ , Emma!"

"So? A lot can happen in a day. One day can be the difference between life and death, Lizzie!" I all but yell the words.

"Calm _down_ , Emma! We'll do it, alright? Just not today!" Lizzie snaps.

"You know, Lizzie, I'm starting to think you have an aptitude for Dauntless as well as Erudite, what with your pride and ignorance," I hiss at her, and storm back to my room. I grab my device, and create a group messaging chat. I send a simple message, just a quick "Hi." Will appears to be online, and he messages back:

 _Hi._

 _How's it going?_ I ask.

 _Not bad. Today we learned how to fire a gun._ He responds. I can imagine him grinning.

What?

 _Crazy, huh?_ He asks.

 _Completely._ I agree.

 _What did you do today?_

 _Socialize._

 _WHAT?!_

 _We chose our research groups for initiation._

 _Who's in your group?_

 _Lizzie, goes without saying, and two Abnegation transfers. Emily Chase and Caleb Prior._

 _TWO Abnegation?_

 _Yeah._

 _We have ONE Abnegation._

 _Really?_

 _Yeah, her name's Tris. Well, that's probably a nickname. I THINK her real name is Beatrice._

 _WHAT?! That means her brother is in our group!_

 _Should I tell her?_

 _NO! This has to be kept secret! No one can know that we are still communicating!_

 _Wow, calm down, Emma!_

 _Sorry. But it's illegal._

 _Then why are we doing it?_

 _Because of the information I found! And… you're my best friend._

 _Doesn't that title belong to Lizzie?_

 _We… may have… had an argument._

 _What did I expect? When was it?_

 _Not important. I'll update you tomorrow._

 _When was this argument?_

 _It doesn't matter._

 _When was this argument?_

 _Five minutes ago._

 _Wow. (Note the sarcasm.) You really should make it up to her._

 _Okay. Bye._

 _Bye._

After that conversation, I felt a bit better. I turn over and flop onto my bed, when I see Lizzie sitting up and glaring at me through the window of my room. Will's message swims around in my head. _You really should make it up to her._ She's still glaring at me. I don't care. I turn away and get under my covers. I must have been really tired, as I soon fall into a dreamless sleep.

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 **Yep, that's all, folks! See you next time! Review? (And no, I did** **not** **have an argument with** ** _LizzieWillow_** **in real life, in case you were wondering.)**

 **~Emerald_Heart12**


	5. Chapter Five: The Secrets

***coughs* Well, I was nice enought to wrap up the chapter nicely last time, but maybe you won't always be so lucky. }:-) Hope you enjoy chapter 5!**

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Chapter Five

For once, I wake up without feeling itchy. And I immediately remember Will's advice. But I'm not in the mood to argue with Lizzie. I just have a shower, and when I look at myself in the mirror, I look as angry as a warthog with an extreme case of fleas. Worst. Simile. Ever. I try to smile, but now I look like a demented lunatic. Wait-demented _means_ lunatic. If I can't get a hold on my English, I must be absolutely furious. I storm out of my room and to the cafeteria. I go to my group's table, Table One. I plop down between Caleb and Emily, and Lizzie sits on the edge of the table.

"Are you alright, Emma?" Caleb asks, a look of worry on his face. I'm scared that if I speak, I'll end up making things worse; everything will come pouring out. I nod and bury my face into my breakfast egg sandwich.

"Emma," Emily starts, "What happened?"

"I'm fine." I say. My voice is small, and angry. Lizzie starts talking, but is hushed when Jeanine makes an appearance in the cafeteria, standing tall, and her grey eyes, which are the colour of melted steel, are filled with satisfaction.

"Initiates," she calls, "We start initiation today. You will each be given individual worksheets, and will complete them within the hour. Whoever has the highest marks, will be ahead in the leaderboard. There will be fourteen tests this week, each assessing a different subject. Tests will start tomorrow, and you will be given your lists today. Each of you will find a list on your room door. You are dismissed."

When I get back to my room, the schedule shows:

 _Monday: Mathematics and English_

 _Tuesday: History and Government_

 _Wednesday: Teamwork and Religion_

 _Thursday: Logic and Creativity_

 _Friday: Geography and Science_

 _Saturday: Serum effects and Technology_

 _Sunday: Architecture and Design_

I peek through the window to Room Thirteen. Lizzie is glaring at her timetable. I'll leave her to it. I lie on the floor, and notice that some of the floorboards are a different shade of blue, but only slightly. Strange. I step on it. Nothing happens. I jump on it. Nothing happens. I'm about to leave when something shiny catches the corner of my eye. I decide to check it later; I have to study. _You really should make it up to her._ Will's voice swirls in my head. I let out a groan of frustration and look into Lizzie's room. She seems to have calmed down, and is absorbed into a calculus book. I try her handle. Locked. Typical of her to lock it from me. I replay last night's conversation in my head, and I realise that I accused her of being Divergent. I shouldn't even know having more than one aptitude is _possible_ , let alone be the case with her. I shake my head. I have to go and apologise, but the stubborn part of me says no. I go back into my room and look at my history sheet. I _love_ history, but I put the sheet down. I look back at the shiny thing, and notice it's a tiny lever, about the size of a tooth, and there's a tiny engraving on it: an owl. I carefully flick it, oblivious to what would happen. The slightly darker blue floorboards pull away, leaving a tunnel underneath the rooms. Would crawling in be dangerous? Probably. Should I do it? Yes. No. I don't know. Eventually curiosity takes hold over me and I jump in, and flick a lever, decorated _exactly_ the same way as the first one, which closes the hatch. It's pitch black down here. I slowly approach the corridor, sticking my arms out so I won't end up bumping into a wall. When the corridor ends, there is enough space for me to stand up, so I do. And I find a similar switch, this time engraved with a silver deer. I flick it, and hear a gasp. Lizzie is staring at me through the hatch.

"Look, Lizzie, I-" I stutter.

"What? How did you-What are _you_ doing here?!" She yells at me.

I hang my head. "Look, Lizzie, I'm sorry about last night. I thought if we kept updating Will, then things would go smoothly. I didn't realise that it lead us to an argument. And arguing is the last thing we should be doing, now that we're wrapped into information that I found. I'm sorry. I know you deserve this apology."

"Hey, look, you're right," Lizzie says coolly. My head jerks up. "The thing is, with the stress of initiation, I have no idea what we'll end up doing to each other."

"Yeah," I say, relieved, "I probably… shouldn't have snuck into your room like this. I found this switch, and the door was locked, so I went into my room, and flicked it. The switch, I mean. It took me into this small tunnel that I had to crawl through. I had no idea it would lead me to your room."

"Yeah," she agrees, "You _shouldn't_ have snuck in." It takes me a second to realise that she was joking. I muster a smile. "This calculus is infuriating. Can you give me a hand here?" She asks.

"Sure," I respond casually. Then a speaker blares.

"All Erudite faction members and initiates, please make your way to the speech hall." Lizzie and I exchange glances.

"This," I say, "Can't be good."

Lizzie arches an eyebrow at me. "You think?" We bump into Emily and Caleb on the way to the hall. We, as initiates, have to sit up front, in our groups. Jeanine struts onto the stage, arrogance in her expression and posture. Arrogance. Usually the Erudite flaw. It isn't mine. My fatal flaw is hubris - pride. Which is, I believe, the Dauntless flaw. Oh, no. My Divergence is easy to spot. Jeanine starts speaking, and sweeps her eyes across the room to see who's not paying attention, so she can humiliate them. Then it hits me. Why everything I've done makes my Divergence obvious. Because I'm being _myself_. My Divergence is a part of me, as visible as my emerald green eyes, or my pitch black hair, or even the scar on my index finger, as long as I'm being myself. If I want to fit in here, I'll have to act like I do. Or it'll mean factionlessness for me. Or death. I shake the thought off and pay attention to whatever Jeanine's saying.

"... and the more we give, the more they hoard, storing it in their places. How can we trust a faction so incredibly _selfish_? All their _selflessness_ must be a ruse to get us to trust them, so they can withhold luxuries like cars-" I snort internally. Like we don't _have_ cars in Erudite. Solar panelled ones too. "-And fresh fruit while we eat old produce, and - show of hands, please - how many of you have seen a factionless person who looks any better off than they did before the Abnegation started _helping_ them?"

This stupid speech of her hatred for Abnegation is getting on my nerves, so I stand up straight and lift my hand up. On my left, Lizzie does the same. So do Emily and Caleb. That's it. Just us.

"Group One, are you trying to rebel against the faction you have chosen? Maybe the life the water led you to is not an admirable one? Perhaps you would like to join the factionless and see just how much those Stiffs are actually helping?" Jeanine muses. My throat tightens.

"No - I - it's the truth! No, no, no, no, no…" Lizzie then steps on my toe.

"... why have put our city into the hands of _these_ people?" Jeanine continues as if she had never spoken to us.

"Huh?" I whisper.

"What?" Lizzie whispers back. It then hits me - I was so lost in my own thoughts that my mind made up that scenario.

When Jeanine dismisses us, one of my other friends, Fernando, asks, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" I should have paid more attention to Jeanine. Then I realise he was asking Emily.

"What? No! I've participated in _every_ factionless help volunteering, and they always give everything to the factionless! We only get an apple a week!" Emily exclaims. After getting back to the dorms, I show Lizzie the best way to understand her calculus and pore over my algebra book. Nothing I didn't know already, so I revise quickly, and by the time I'm 100% sure I'm done, I think about the tunnel under the dorms. Then I had an idea.

 _Will._ I messaged.

 _Yeah?_

 _Found a secret tunnel under the dorms. Meet me outside the Hub in half an hour._

 _Got it. Are you bringing Lizzie?_

 _No. She has enough to deal with. That calculus is really getting on her nerves._

 _I'll see you there._

I shove the device in my pocket, and the second I do, the lights start going off. The second the dorms are silent, I slide into the tunnel, shutting it behind me. Darkness envelops me, but thankfully I thought ahead. I reach for a flashlight I found in one of the drawers earlier. I fumble with the switch, but it eventually turns on. The light cast a clear beam across the tunnel. I turn left, then right, then right, then left, until I see a green button. That must mean a way out of here. Then, I hear voices from above me.

"... and you brought the simulation serum?" A voice - that sounds like broken glass - asks. I recognise the voice immediately: Jeanine's.

"Of course," another voice responds. "I do believe you have convinced the Dauntless to co-operate?'

"Obviously," Jeanine snaps, "I placed their newest leader there myself. I have received reports from him on a weekly basis."

"I must go now, if someone here notices that I am not from a faction, and then that I'm from outside Chicago - that is, your city, - the Bureau will kill me - and will have to reset several people."

 _Bureau? Dauntless co-operating? What does this mean for our city? Chicago? Outside the fence?_ I shrink back into the wall, then my watch beeps, waking me from my daze. Will is supposed to meet me in five minutes. I crawl back through as fast as I can, eventually reaching the distinct area near the Hub.

When I see Will, I notice his face is covered in bruises.

"Will," I say, "What _happened_ to you?"

"Fights. I lost to a Candor guy named Al."

"The Dauntless make you _fight_ each other to improve your rank? That's terrible!"

"Emma," Will starts, "What's going on?"

"A _lot_. You won't believe what I just heard. Jeanine has some alliance-" I say quickly.

"Hold up," Will interrupts. "Earlier you said that there are two Abnegation in your group. Do you think it's safe to tell them? I mean, it _is_ their ex-faction."

"We need to know if we can trust them. For all I know, they could go straight to Jeanine the second I tell them I found out."

"Okay. Continue with what you were about to say before I so rudely interrupted." Will says with mock politeness. I roll my eyes at that comment.

"Well, in the morning, I found out that it just so happens there are secret tunnels under the dorms. Each room has a different symbol; mine has an owl, Lizzie's has a deer, and so on. On the way here, I _may_ have got a _little_ mixed up with my sense of direction. Then, as it so happens, I made my way under one of Jeanine's restricted areas. I heard someone - a man - say something about being from being from outside our city - Chicago, he called it - and about a serum. I'm guessing that he meant the serum D2, as it's the only serum Jeanine needs. But why would someone from outside our city want to destroy a third of our population? Anyway, how's your side going?"

"Well, I have actually made some friends: the Abnegation transfer, Tris, a and two Candor transfers, Al, and Christina." Will says smoothly, but the tips of his ears go red when he says "Christina."

"Al? Didn't you just say he beat you up like… a punching bag?" I ask, confused.

"It wasn't like he had a choice," Will explains.

"I see. And Christina?" I ask cheekily.

"Huh? What about her?" He asks. His expression shows confusion, but the redness of his ears give it away.

"Aww… you like her, don't you?" I tease.

" _What?!_ No!" Will splutters.

"Will likes Christina! Will likes Christina! Will likes Christina!" I stick my tongue out at him.

"Whatever. So, any more information on _when_ this will take-"

"Can I know - _just what_ \- two initiates from different factions are doing here in the middle of the night?" The voice that cut Will off sounds like coarse dirt, embedded with rocks and broken glass. Jeanine.

* * *

 **Ooh, cliffhanger! MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Sorry-not-sorry! :P Review? Please... I only have four reviews... and reviews give me the encouragement to keep writing... 3**

 **~EmeraldHeart12**


	6. Chapter Six: The Interrogation

**OH MY GODS I'M SOO SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE PLEASE SON'T KILL ME! HERE, TAKE THIS CHAPTER! AND PLUSHIES! *hands you chibi dolls of the foursome***

Chapter Six

"Ah, two initiates. What a _lovely_ surprise." Before Jeanine sees who we are, we flee. Heart pounding, I worry that Jeanine can catch up to me, as I'm not the best runner in here. Then I remember that she's an adult, and also probably doesn't work out too much. She has no reason to. I run around Erudite, hoping to throw her off my trail, and finally get to my tunnel. I crawl into it, and shut it. The second I do, footsteps run right above where my head was seconds ago, causing me to release a breath I didn't realise I was holding. I slink back to my room, and thankfully no one notices I was gone; they're all asleep. I draw down the blinds around my room so no one will see me switch the room light on. I groan upon seeing my reflection in the bathroom; my jet-black hair is everywhere, my green eyes - that usually look like emeralds - are a dull olive shade with red around from exhaustion. I change into pajamas and flop onto my bed, falling asleep instantly.

 _This_ time, a speaker wakes me up.

"Initiates," it says in Jeanine's voice, "Mathematics exams will start in four hours. You will have the morning to prepare, but I will call each of you to my office, for a, ah, _discussion_. I wish you luck, initiates, but you shouldn't need it." My throat tightens immediately. Of _course_ she would pull us into her office and interrogate us. WIth truth serum, for sure. Now I _know_ she's caught me. I'll be factionless by the end of the day.

"What do you think Jeanine meant by 'discussion'?" Caleb ponders aloud at breakfast.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it _won't_ be good." Emily answers.

"I figured." Lizzie responds in her usual sarcastic way.

"I'm pretty sure it was a rhetorical question, Lizzie. Also, you don't have to retort to _everything_ that everyone says." I say. I'm really not in the mood for fun and games; not with an exam in a few hours and a constant threat looming ahead, when Jeanine discovers me.

"Initiate Emma Smith, please report to Jeanine Matthews' office." I take a deep breath and relax my expression. I should have no reason to be tense or nervous, if I am not guilty. But I am, and she knows it. That's why she called me first, because I am her first suspicion. She saw my hair, and it was _unmistakably_ my hair, as I am the only initiate with jet-black hair. I inhale, then exhale. Maybe factionlessness isn't _so_ bad. Maybe… I will adjust. I take a deep breath, and knock on the door, gently, three times. Jeanine opens the door, and she's wearing a dress that's midnight-blue.

"Well," Jeanine begins, "As it happens, yesterday, at half past one in the morning, we saw an initiate from our faction meeting an initiate from Dauntless. Would you have any idea who that was?"

I play dumb. "There was? How did they sneak out of the building? Aren't there cameras everywhere?"

Jeanine looks unfazed by my questions. "As it happens, yes, there are."

"Shouldn't you be able to check the cameras then?" I ask with a polite tone; she doesn't realise I'm mocking her.

"They weren't on the cameras; we have to interrogate each initiate privately, with truth serum that the Candor lent us. I called _you_ here first because, the initiate in question seemed to have black hair, and it seems that you are the only initiate with jet-black hair." I was right. Again.

"Me?! You must be mistaken. I have _no_ idea what you're talking about!" I exclaim. I'm suddenly glad I don't have an aptitude for Candor; I find it easy to lie.

"We'll see if the truth serum will work," Jeanine says smoothly.

A man from Candor hands me some antiseptic, and I rub it on my neck, and then he injects me with truth serum. A strange, woozy feeling overtakes me. Then the Candor man speaks.

"My name is Niles. I will be your interrogator. We will start with a few easy questions. What is your name?"

I feel a bubble in my mouth; the words, making their way up my throat. "Emma Smith,"

"Who are your parents? And do you have any siblings?"

"My mother is Jennifer Smith, my father is Richard Smith, and my younger brother is Ben - Benjamin Smith."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Did you transfer faction?"

"No."

"Where were you, last night, at one?" he asks.

 _I was with my friend Will, talking about some secret information._ No. If I say it, I'll be proven guilty without a doubt. I push the words down set my jaw.

"I was in my bed, sleeping." I say, surprised I could lie under truth serum. It must be a Divergent thing. I tense up, terrified she will know.

"Hmm… what were your aptitude test results?"

Natalie told me not to tell _anyone_ , even my family. I get the feeling that Jeanine is the hunter; Divergent are the prey.

"Erudite."

"Anything else?" Niles asks slowly.

"What do you mean by 'anything else'?"

"Any other results?" Jeanine says, exasperated.

I draw my eyebrows together, to create the illusion of confusion. "That's possible?"

"No," Jeanine says flatly, "It's not."

"Then why did you ask?"

Niles changes the subject. "Are you friends with any Dauntless initiates?"

The words come without prompting. "Will. He was my best friend since I was three. But he left because-" I cut myself off. "Because - I don't know - I guess he had the aptitude."

"So Will is your best friend?"

"Yeah, well, one of them. Lizzie is the other one; I've known her since I was two. Also, I've made two new ones, Emily Chase, and Caleb Prior."

"Hmm… alright. You have been proven innocent. You may go." Jeanine pronounces.

I release a breath I didn't realise I was holding, and leave the room. Outside is Emily, half glaring and half staring at me.

"Explain." she snaps.

"Explain what?"

"You _lied_ under truth serum. How?"

"What makes you say I lied?"

"I _saw_ you yesterday, talking to a Dauntless initiate. Like friends. Was he Will?"

I narrow my eyes at her. "How much did you hear? And see?"

"Yesterday, I saw you talk to a Dauntless initiate, and when you left, Jeanine said, 'Oh, that Erudite girl is going to the factionless for this' and I tried to warn you, but my the time I got back, you were asleep. In the morning, I couldn't find you alone before Jeanine called you in."

"So you eavesdropped, stalked, and broke into my room, which I remember _locking_ , and you expect an apology from _me_?" I snap back. "What makes you think it was _me_ specifically? Also, I was under _truth_ serum; how can I?"

Emily inhales. "Last night, a ring my brother gave me went missing, and I thought I may have left it in your room. I was looking around, and I saw something shiny, but it was an owl-shaped lever. I flicked it, and it led me to a tunnel, in which I eventually saw you, and heard Jeanine call out to you."

I think quickly; if I don't lie, I'll end up having to reveal my Divergence. "I'm sorry about your ring, Emily, but I wasn't at the Hub, I had left dorm area through the tunnels because my watch battery was broken, and I was looking for a spare in a supply cupboard that's open-to-all. I'll show you the battery if you want." I can tell from her expression that my lie was believable. We head to my room, and I was lucky enough to have taken a spare watch battery from home before leaving, and so I made a big show of changing it.

"Initiate Jeffrey Bander, please report to Jeanine Matthews' office." The speaker blares again.

"Well, now I know why Jeanine gave us four hours to 'prepare'." Emily jokes.

"Look, I'd really appreciate if you don't tell anyone about my watch battery. I don't want to look unprepared."

"Hey, no problem," Emily smiles.

Well, it looks like I'm free of any suspicion. Emily no longer looks suspicious _at all_ , and Jeanine seems convinced that I'm innocent too. _Phew._ When we get back to the dorms, Caleb is poring over a history book and Lizzie is tugging the purple streak in her hair.

"Hey, Emma," Lizzie calls, "Any more time for a little more calculus practice?"

I sigh and go over to her. "So, what do you need help with?"

"I found a practice worksheet, but I'm stuck on questions twenty, forty-six, and eighty-two."

"Right. Let's see," I start, "What you want to do is-"

"Initiate Elizabeth Willow, please report to Jeanine Matthews' office." The stupid speaker blares. I turn to glare at the camera next to the speaker because that very speaker was almost the instrument of my destruction. As was the truth serum. As it happens, Lizzie beat me to it, but for a different reason; she _never_ lets anyone use her real name. Once I made the mistake of doing so in public, and had a fist to my nose. Lizzie stalks off into the room, and Emily and I burst out laughing at the same time.

"Gotta get in a little more practice before exams," I wink at Emily.

"Sure," she says, "but don't you already know this kinda stuff?"

"I guess so, but I really have nothing else to do." I tell her casually.

"I know! Maybe-"

"Guys," I hear a voice behind me. I turn, and Caleb is panting, as if he'd run a long way. "Exams… start… sooner…."

"Pardon?"

"The exams… have been moved earlier… they're in… five minutes…" Caleb puffed.

"What?!" Lizzie yells from behind me, causing me to turn around and glare at her.

"Could you _not_ yell in my ear, Lizzie?" I ask sarcastically.

" _Sorry_ ," she responds just as sarcastically.

"Initiates," the speaker sounds again, but in a different voice, like water flowing over smooth stones.

" _Now_ what?" Emily groans.

As if to answer her question, the speaker blares, "Now, you will start you mathematics examinations. Please report to room B-18."

I groan.

As we walk as a quartet **(no, a quartet is not only for music)** to room B-18, something catches my eye. Room B-13 on my right has a huge tank with a pipe in the bottom. What _is_ that for? As it happens, I'm not the only one that noticed: Caleb is staring through the window.

"What _is_ that for?" Caleb asks, echoing my thoughts.

"It's about the size of a human," Emily observes.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._ My watch.

"We're late! Run!"

As we enter the room, my sixth-grade maths teacher - Ms. Parson - is looking at us condescendingly.

"Sorry we're late," the four of us chorus.

"Emma, Lizzie, I expected better of you two." Ms. Parson says, shaking her head.

"We only found out about the timing _literally_ minutes ago," Lizzie explains.

"Alright. Please take a seat."

So we sit at table one. The math sheet face down in front of me looks like it consists of at least fifty pages.

"The first half of this test will be on paper, and the rest online. As you aren't allowed to have your things from your previous faction with you, we have laptops in that..." she points with a plain fingernail, "cupboard. Any questions?"

No one lifts a hand.

"You may begin."

I see a rush of pencil and paper as initiates scramble for materials. There is only one supply left untouched: calculators. Everyone flips their papers around and I see the first part: _fractions_. It takes all my effort not to bury my head in my hands. _Fractions_ , which I learnt in second-grade. Hopefully, the questions aren't as easy as they sound. I look at the paper.

 _26+36=_

 _58+48=_

 _That_ crushed any hope of it being even _slightly_ challenging. I fly through the five pages of fractions in a minute and ten seconds (literally). It seems I am the second one to finish; Emily put her pencil down a millisecond before I did.

"Ms. Parson," I hear someone say quietly, "When we finish the first section, can we move to the next?"

"Of course." Ms. Parson responds.

I flick to the next page. Algebra. Easy-peasy. I zoom through the next few sections, until I get to calculus. I sneak a peek at Lizzie, and she looks somewhere between confused and furious. I do my best to stifle a giggle and finish my paper. But thankfully, the problems here are a heck of a lot harder than the earlier ones. I'm second to finish. The first was another Erudite born who was in my math class, Arnold, and even he looks like he just finished. Arnold looks around shyly, and asks the teacher in a soft voice what to do now he's finished, to which Ms. Parson responds, "Write down the time it took you to complete your test and wait for the others to finish." Arnold does so, and so do I. Emily finishes next, a proud - yet somewhat shy - grin on her face, with Lizzie soon afterward. Caleb finishes seconds later. Fernando, another Erudite born, is done too, and soon enough, all the others finish.

"All right, initiates," Ms. Parson announces, "we will look at your results now. Please return in half an hour. The rankings should be in your dorms in five minutes. Alright, off you go." Ms. Parson sits at her desk to start marking her work.

As we walk back to the dorms, we decide to walk around the for compound a bit. Caleb sighs. "Usually, at this time, we would meet up…" I look at Emily for an explanation of what Caleb means.

"Normally at this time, in Abnegation, Beatrice - that is, Caleb's sister - Susan, Robert, Caleb, and I would meet up and have fun."

"Really? I thought you guys just helped out the factionless and stayed at home," Lizzie says, voicing my thoughts. Honestly, she can read my mind sometimes! When we reach the dorms, the rankings are up., but I can't see them as everyone is crowded around the screen. I push through, cross my fingers and…

 _Arnold - E_

 _Emma - E_

I release a breath that I didn't realise I was holding.

 _Lizzie - E_

 _Fernando - E_

 _Emily - Ab_

 _Caleb - Ab_

 _Jeffrey - E_

 _Jiminy - Am_

 _Mia - E_

 _Kevin - C_

 _Nickie - E_

 _Harmie - D_

 _Anya - E_

 _Gwen - E_

 _Marvine - Am_

 _Minnedy - E_

 _Reginald - C_

 _Anni - D_

 _Ellie - Am_

 _Wanda - E_

"What do the letters next to the names mean?" someone asks.

"I think they mean the faction we were from." Mia says back.

"Obviously," Jeffrey scoffs, "but the scores seem to be somewhat messed up. _Emma_ shouldn't be second. _I_ should. I mean, _why_ does a faction traitor get second place?"

A murmur ripples through the group. I catch a few words including "Dauntless" and "traitor" and "Jeanine" and "double-crosser" and "spy", but the word I hear most is "factionless", and just as I hear it again, Lizzie steps in.

"And just _what_ makes you think she's gonna betray us?"

"Jeanine called us all in for a questioning; when she announced it on the speaker, her voice was fierce and tight, and the first person to go in was _Emma_. By the time I got in - which was second, by the way - she looked slumped and defeated. Obviously she was Jeanine's first - and probably only - suspect." Jeffrey stalked off with his chin up, and his dark brown hair facing us. I must admit, his powers of deductive reasoning are pretty impressive. But he, as a person, is a total jerk. Anyone would agree. I'm not kidding.

"Jerk," I mutter, and Lizzie nods in agreement. "Can I kill him?"

"No." Emily responds swiftly.

"Please?" I ask again.

"Unless you want to be executed, I wouldn't." Lizzie counters.

"Fine," I grumble, then add, "but I want to smash his long nose into the wall and leave his face flatter than a cat's."

"No." Caleb says.

"Just let me punch him." I plead.

"Fine, but only one punch," Lizzie says tiredly. I hadn't expected that.

"Or even better, publicly humiliate him." I grin evilly.

"Emma, I don't think-"

"Trust me, this'll be good."

"Oh, Jeffrey's dead now…" Lizzie commented, laughing.

 **I hope that made up for it! And the last chapter's cliffhanger. Heh, heh... o_O"**


End file.
